Saturday, July 13, 2013

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #18

Hi, everyone !!

Well, it looks like having some well-earned time off towards the end of last week did the Roku channel developers (in the USA, at least) a whole world of good because, having slacked off a bit prior to the holiday, they've now come back with a vengeance. Yes, indeed, revitalized & restored to their channel-producing best they've (collectively) added an interesting assortment of NEW ROKU CHANNELS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store this past week, as you're about to discover !!

Meanwhile, in addition to those new channels, we've also had some more new readers coming to the pages of this blog. Once again, there were many repeat visits from various countries that I've mentioned in previous posts but this time, unlike last week, there was not just onecountry but twocountries that had not featured previously. So, before we go any further with the current 'Weekly RoundUp', I'd first like to extend a warm welcome to those new readers from Myanmar [Burma] and Lebanon, who each took the time to pay a maiden visit to these pages at some point during the course of the past seven days, or so.

To those new readers, and to everyone else who continues to read my Roku-related ramblings here on this blog, I'd just like to say... "Thanks for stopping by" & long may you continue to do so.

Anyway, let's get on with the details for the current 'Weekly RoundUp' of NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. This time, there are TWELVE NEW CHANNELS which have been added during the past seven days. These latest additions to the Roku UK Channel Store provided FRESH CONTENT to the Film & TV, Music, Internet TV, International, Special Interest, Screensavers & Apps plus Religion & Spirituality genres (i.e. categories).

In keeping with previous installments from the 'Weekly RoundUp' series, details of these new channels have all been listed below, together with links to obtain further information {by clicking on the channel name(s) beneath the respective channel icon(s) as pictured} and to read a 'Roku Guide' review (where available) for each one:-

N.B. Since this channel does not currently feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store, the link above is for the Official Website of the Hmong TV Network. It may further interest you to know that the "Hmong TV Network" channel for Roku is a global media source for Hmong news, entertainment & cultural awareness. In addition to a LIVE-STREAM of the "Hmong TV Network" channel, their Roku channel also features a selection of VOD (Video-On-Demand) programming that includes documentaries, newscasts, folk songs, movies & tv shows. To view the TV SCHEDULE for the live stream of the "Hmong TV Network" channel, you may do so via THIS LINK.

Needless to say, if you happen to be part of the Hmong community, there is an abundance of content on offer here which should keep you both entertained & informed. Perhaps best of all, however, is that the "Hmong TV Network" channel is both FREE-TO-ADD and FREE-TO-VIEW on your Roku player, so you can access all this content without paying a penny !!

If you would like to connect with the "Hmong TV Network" channel, you can do so via their official Twitter Feed: @hmongtvnetwork or, if you want to get social with them, then you can do so directly via their Facebook Page: Hmong TV Network (Facebook).

Lastly, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the "Hmong TV Network" channel has not yet been added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store, there is no Roku Guide Review available. If & when this situation changes, I will add a link to this post.

N.B. Before you can start your FREE 14-DAY TRIAL, you will first need to visit the SIGN-UP PAGE for the "UrbanPix" channel via THIS LINK. The registration process requires that you provide your full name & email address. In addition, you must choose a username and create a password for your UrbanPix Account, as well as providing payment details. Once you have subscribed, you will then need to ACTIVATE YOUR ROKU PLAYER by entering the UNIQUE ACCESS CODE which will be displayed on your screen when you first attempt to watch any of the premium content on the "UrbanPix" channel via your Roku player. The webpage you must visit, in order to enter your unique access code, can be found HERE. You will know that the activation process was successful because the screen (containing the access code) will be updated automatically upon completion.

PLEASE NOTE: Whilst the "UrbanPix" Roku channel does feature a CHANNEL-ARRAY of THREE SUB-CHANNELS (namely, 'Feature Films', 'Short Films' and 'Webisodes') it is (currently) only the 'Feature Films' sub-channel which has any content (a choice of 37 videos, to be precise). Both the 'Short Films' and 'Webisodes' sub-channels simply state "Content coming soon" when attempting to access their content. Doubtless this will change over time, or they wouldn't be included here.

ALSO: The prices quoted for this are in $USD (U.S. Dollars) because that is how they are shown on the website, when you follow the link (above) to sign-up for an UrbanPix Account. Currently, you will not find any prices quoted in £GBP (British Pounds)... even in the channel description that is included among the channel details for the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Needless to say, until that changes, the price you actually pay will depend entirely on the applicable exchange rate at the time you take out your subscription.

N.B. Since this channel does not currently feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store, the link above is for the Official Website of Canal de Ayuda Internaçional. It may further interest you to know that this channel features just ONE SUB-CHANNEL that is comprised of a SINGLE LIVE STREAM for the "Canal de Ayuda TV" channel. I feel I should also point out to you that this channel is identical to the "Buena Vista TV - Canal de Ayuda TV" channel, as found among the various sub-channels of the "UnoRed La Red Cristiana" Roku channel, that featured in my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #14" last month. Consequently, as you might expect, this channel is aimed primarily at those of you who are fluent in the Spanish language. Although, it has to be said, I did come across some english-language content too which, for the benefit of the target audience for this channel, was helpfully subtitled in Spanish !!

So, needless to say, if you happen to be fluent in Spanish and of this religious persuasion, here is yet another live-streaming channel that can be added to your Roku player. Having said that, it may be easier for you to simply access it from within the "UnoRed La Red Cristiana" Roku channel, rather than installing both. The choice is yours, at the end of the day, to do whatever suits you. Anyway perhaps best of all, and like the "UnoRed La Red Cristiana" channel, the "Canal de Ayuda TV" channel is both FREE-TO-ADD and FREE-TO-VIEW on Roku player. Once again, you have developer Pedro Santiago to thank for that, not forgetting the content providers, of course !!

If you would like to connect with the "Canal de Ayuda Internaçional" channel, you can do so via their Twitter Feed: @canaldeayuda or, if you would prefer to write at length, then you will find their email address scrolling across the bottom of the screen whenever you access the channel's live stream.

Lastly, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the "Canal de Ayuda Internaçional" channel has not yet been added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store, there is no Roku Guide Review available. If & when this situation changes, I will add a link to this post.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a FREE PREVIEW CHANNEL designed so that you can "Try Before You Buy" the very similarly named "Karaoke Party On Demand" PAID CHANNEL which was the sole channel to feature in one of my earlier blog posts, "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #3", back in March 2013. Both channels had received a simultaneous release, when added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store, in November 2012. For that reason, I was VERY SURPRISED not to see this free preview released alongside it's paid equivalent, when it was added to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, earlier this year. Anyway, the developer of these channels, Endavo Media, has now decided to make up for that oversight and we now have the opportunity to sample this channel for free, here in the UK, before shelling out the £2.99 asking price for the paid version. Of course, you only get a limited number of songs in the FREE PREVIEW on which to practice your karaoke singing prowess. The Roku Guide Review states that the USA release featured 20 songs but it looks like Endavo Media have applied the equivalent of the monetary currency exchange rate to the UK release because there's only 14 songs available on this version. Hopefully, the same tactic has not been used with the UK paid version because, according to the Roku Guide Review of the USA release, there's supposed to be "Thousands of titles available" if you're willing to pay for them. Meanwhile, you'll just have to make do with performing songs in the style of Olly Murs, Rod Stewart, Taylor Swift, Judy Garland, Blake Shelton, The Temptations (Unplugged), Maroon Five, The Drifters, Luke Bryan, Rihanna, Glenn Miller & His Orchestra, George Jones, Lou Rawls or Alan Jackson (with Jimmy Buffet) because that's all you're going to get with this free preview, I'm afraid. Well, what do you expect for nothing?!!

PLEASE NOTE: The "Official" Roku UK Channel Store description for the "Cult Radio A-Go-Go!" channel states that the content is SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY so you may wish to impose restrictions on younger viewers & listeners. Indeed, the channel information for the 24/7 LIVE STREAM of the CRAGG channel begins by saying that it is "UNCENSORED" and therefore, to avoid being offended in any way, PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED when tuning in.

Should you choose to access this new Roku channel, what you will get can only be described as "Drive-In Movie Radio, with a Pop Culture twist" that includes both the best & the worst of good & bad drive-in movies, vintage TV & old-time radio. One of the weekly highlights is a LIVE TALK RADIO SHOW by radio host (& CRAGG Roku channel developer) Terry Dufoe with celebrity guests, which airs EVERY SATURDAY from 6-10pm (PST) [GMT-8hrs]. If you'd like to know what's coming up on the show, then you can CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE via THIS LINK.

Anyway, like it or not, thatis your lot for this week and, whilst it doesn't quite the match-up to the sixteen channels which made it into the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store during the same time-frame, I always think it's better to have SOME NEW CHOICES than none at all, don't you ?!!

Still, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the twelve channels outlined above. If not, then you'll have to pay us a visit another time when, with any luck, there will be something more to your liking. Afterall, there's no point installing every channel because, as I've said before, when it comes to adding new channels to your Roku player, IT'S YOUR CHOICE and, as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS !!

So, be sure to come back in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp' and, if you can't wait that long, remember you can always keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) throughout the coming week, by following our Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related (here in the UK) is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).

I appreciate how easy it is to fall behind on weeks when there's a lot of new channel releases. No-one knows that more than you, I'm sure !! As for the links back to RokuGuide, it should really be me thanking you because all the effort you put in each week saves me time putting my blog posts together. So, THANK YOU!

For the record, all the missing links to the channel reviews have now been added (aside from the two that are yet to feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store) so I've updated the post and removed the first paragraph with my disclaimer. Now no-one is any the wiser about the delay - unless they happen to read these comments, of course !!